Storyline: The sky is the limit for the Golden State Warriors. It’s just a matter of how far they can go.
As I was writing this, I was knocking on wood, hoping I was jinxing the life out of this team.
The Warriors are a team that many thought wouldn’t be nearly as successful as they are now. They beat the Cavs for their 1st title in 40 years, last season. Their point guard, Stephen Curry, won MVP; he also set a three-point record with 286 made for the season. Also, he made Chris Paul into an overnight meme; though that lasted for a short while as CP3 reminded everyone a game later that he was still one of the best point guards in the league.
Now the Dubs are seeing enormous success, starting their new campaign 14-0. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
Their last win came against the #2 East-ranked Bulls on November 20th. Chicago put up a fight, however, jumping out to an early 11 point lead. But, with an opponent like Golden State, 11 points can be made up in a few minutes.
With over a dozen lead changes and a brief break away by Chicago, it looked as if Golden State was going to finally lose one. That wasn’t the case, unfortunately for the Bulls. The Warriors started playing the brand of basketball that led them to a 67-15 record last season.
Courtesy: mstarz.com
They were moving the ball, finding the many open shooters that they seem to have every game, and playing tough defense. They outscored the Bulls 29-21 in the 4th quarter, and eventually won the game 106-94. Now the question remains: how long can the Curry-led Warriors ride this win streak?
The answer is simple: as long as they want. Of their 13 wins, they’ve beaten opponents by 10 or more points, 9 times; with their average point differential of +14. It’s not like they’ve had the easiest schedule in the league either. Every team in the NBA has a target on Golden States back and they’re all looking to hit the bulls-eye. Sadly, none of them can hit it.
They’ve been through all sorts of games this season. They played in an overtime thriller with Brooklyn (which they won 107-99). They’ve played against top East and West teams – Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and others. Surprisingly, Memphis didn’t seem to be much of a challenge as Golden State obliterated them by 50 points (119-69).
This year’s Warriors squad is being compared to the ’96 Bulls. If you don’t know why this is a comparison, here’s why. The ’96 Bulls finished that season 72-10; mind you Golden State finished 67-15 last season. Pretty close right? And let’s face it, today’s league isn’t what it used to be.
Courtesy: awesomeish.com
Chicago, through the first 20 games, started 18-2. They continued their dominance throughout the year, putting together two separate streaks of at least 12 wins in a row (13 and 18). It was ultimately a team effort but their infamous leader, Michael Jordan, was awarded league MVP. Stephen Curry, leader of the Warriors, also won MVP honors last season. I don’t have to go any further to prove how similar these two teams are. Just know that they are.
Back to Golden State. Sitting at 14-0, they have 6 more games to reach that 20 win, zero losses threshold. This feat is looking to be highly attainable. Not only because of their ability but because of their schedule easing up. Their next six opponents are the Nuggets, Lakers, Suns, Kings, Jazz and Hornets, whose combined record is 32-43 (.426).
They’ll take it a day at a time and focus on getting their record to 15-0. They’ll play the Denver Nuggets on November 22nd at 5 pm. It’s a road game so let’s see if Golden State can beat the team and the crowd.
Looks like you might be right!